Footsteps
by jMaxxSE
Summary: Ash has been having weird dreams lately. Could these dreams actually make him not just a Pokemon Master and restore a rivalry with an old friend? Or maybe make him abandon his career as a trainer? Rated T for a few curse words here and there.


Okay, I've decided to revise the whole story since I noticed there were many flaws in the text. Note that I don't have a beta reader so the story can't be perfect as you expect. I also did some research on car tuning since I'm only a kid so don't expect that the details on tuning would be perfect and that I'm only writing this for fun.

'thought'

"speech"

Disclaimer: All trademarks and content belong to their rightful owners. I do not own any trademark or content in this fic.

"_Just a few more corners and it's over." A certain black haired boy thought as he drove down the mountain. He was driving a Toyota Supra and the car in front of him, a Blue Nissan Skyline R34 GT-T. He did his best to pass the car at the corners but all he can do is keep up, since his opponent was a talented racer and his former rival in Pokemon training. He had to quickly think of a way to pass him or else he'd lose. Right now, the two cars are speeding on the straightway of the mountain. The Supra driver floored the throttle until the turbo spooled to its maximum boost. He felt a bit of turbo lag since the car only had one turbo while the other had two, meaning it had little to no lag. Once the Supra's spooled, it finally caught up with its opponent. The two cars then quickly approached a corner and both drivers slammed on the brakes, drastically diminishing their cars' speed. The drivers then downshifted and steered to get through the corner, causing the tires scream and lateral g-forces push the drivers to their sides. Once both vehicles exited the corner, both drivers accelerated and went through the gears until they came to another corner. The drivers did the same procedure of getting through the corner again and exited the corner. Now, there was just one corner left and that it was a left hander and the Supra driver finally thought of a way to pass his opponent but it was risky. He was at risk of wrecking his car and getting injured if he miscalculated the amount of throttle to be applied to execute the technique but it should be worth the try since this was the last corner and it was the race of his life. The cars approached the corner and the Supra quickly swerved to the outside lane to trick the Skyline driver that it was going to pass on the outside. The driver of the Skyline did swerve to the outside to block the Supra but the Supra quickly swerved back to the inside lane. It was already too late for the Skyline driver to react and the Supra driver already drifted alongside the Skyline. The driver of the Supra deepened the throttle to make the car's weight transfer to the rear. _

"_So far so good," The driver of the Supra thought. The next thing he did was get near the gutter and managed to make his front left wheel get to the other side of the ditch. This amazed the driver of the Skyline to no end. 'How did he…?' he thought. Once the Supra was approaching the exit of the corner, the driver carefully brought the wheel on the other side of the gutter back on the road. He floored the throttle; the turbocharger took time to spool up because of its size. The Skyline driver immediately floored the throttle, taking advantage of the lag the Supra was experiencing. He quickly caught up with his rival but as soon as he caught up, the turbo of the Supra finally spooled, gaining speed quickly and preventing its rival from passing. The two cars were now neck-and-neck, neither of the drivers allowed each other to take the lead. There were no more corners and that the finish line was already getting near. With both cars having identical powers, neither of them got the lead not even by a single inch no matter how much the drivers accelerated. Both drivers moved on to fifth gear, sweat was already trickling down their cheeks, their vision beginning to blur and stating to feel lightheaded. On to sixth gear, the finish line was only a quarter mile left. The GT-T got ahead for a moment thanks to the Supra's turbo lag but the car's turbo spooled so it caught up again. With both cars already running in their final forward gears and nearing their maximum speeds, only the one with a higher top speed would gain the lead. _

_An eighth of a mile left. Both cars were already travelling at more than 300 kilometers per hour. Everything from there started going downhill for the driver of the Skyline as the Supra started taking the lead thanks to its high speed gearing. The driver can only curse his misfortune as the Supra slowly gained distance in front of his car until both of them finally crossed the finish line. The crowd started to roar in wild cheering as soon as they realized that the racer they were rooting for won the race. Both vehicles halted to a stop and the drivers stepped out, feeling dizzy and tired after the intense race. They then removed their helmets, revealing their heads drenched in sweat. Seeing their faces only caused the crowd to cheer louder._

"_NICE RACE ASH! YOU'RE THE BEST!" one of the spectators yelled._

"_Yeah! You already beat Maxx in the Hoenn league now you beat him in a race on his home course! That proves it, you're the best in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh!" and the crowd continued cheering._

_Maxx's fans were also cheering for him but not as much as Ash gets. They were just proud that neither of the two got hurt driving on the dangerous mountain and that Maxx did his best to retain his title as the best racer in all four regions. But somehow, his rival managed to take his title._

_Maxx approached his victorious rival and extended his right arm as a sign of congratulating him for his victory. He felt neither regret nor sorrow for his loss. In fact, he was happy that his apprentice had beaten him in his race of a lifetime. Once this was done, he wanted him to continue his career of being a racer and go to new places and experience more challenges. He was certain that there are still many racers that are as good as he is. Even though Ash was already one of the best, Maxx still knew that he still had a lot to learn both from experience, and from mistakes. _

"_Hey," Ash said as Maxx approached him and then shook hands. _

"_That was some move you did back there. Using your throttle to reduce weight in the front is a pretty tricky move since overdoing it can cause your wheels to spin too much and end up in a catastrophe. And that you managed to cope with your turbo lag. I gotta say, I'm really impressed. After this, I want you to continue on with your career and get to new places and experience more challenges. But let me warn you, you will experience hardships in your life in the future. You will experience being overconfident which will cause you your downfall. Never ever let your popularity and skill get to your head or else. You know the consequences."_

"_Maxx, all I can say is, thank you. Thank you very much for being my mentor. Thanks also for your advice; I'll be taking them seriously. I promise I will continue my career until I become the best. And once I achieve that, I will use my skills to teach others who have the same dreams as I do."_

"_I was just expecting that answer from you," Maxx answered with a smirk._

"_But what about you? What will you do once this is done?" Ash asked._

"_I'll still continue being a racer. I'll just join local car clubs and participate in race events. I'll do that until I become old and have to retire. While you, you continue my legend."_

"_I'll do that." Ash then faced the crowd. They continued to cheer for him until suddenly, everything started to fade away. He looked at Maxx to find him no longer there even his car…_

Present day, June 5, 2008

Ash was getting annoyed by the poking he was receiving from a certain person. He opened his eyes halfway but his sight was blurred. All he can see was a person with orange hair trying to wake him up.

"Ash, come on wake up," The person said and sighed. "Guess I'll have to wake him up the hard way again."

While Ash's eyesight slowly getting clearer, he saw the person stand up and pick up a stick using two hands with a big black object on top. He quickly realized what the object was and sat up as fast as he can to avoid being woken up the hard way again.

"WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH WOAH! Chill Misty chill! I'm awake! I'm awake!" Ash exclaimed as he extended both his arms at the girl.

"About time you woke up without being hit." Misty said as she laid down her trusty mallet.

"Oh yeah? So are you considering that as a milestone? Sheesh Misty, just because your mallet is effective doesn't mean you have to use it all the time. Why did you wake me up so early anyway? We're not on a journey anymore right? I'm already done training so why the rush?"

"Well duh, everyone's already awake and they're having breakfast. You know what happens when you realize there's no more food because you woke up late right? So get up know if you want a complete meal today."

Ash sweat-dropped. "Err yeah," He said while rubbing the back of his head. "Let me tell you something first. I just had this dream that I beat Maxx in a race on a mountain. I don't think this is the first time. I've been having dreams like this lately, but all of them were just me driving a fast car, not being in a race."

"That's pretty weird. I mean, you don't even know how to drive right? But hearing that makes me get to this conclusion that you want to follow Maxx's footsteps as a racer. Am I right?"

"Come to think of it, I have been gaining interest in cars lately. After riding Maxx's car in Sunnyshore City, I started to become curious in racing and in cars. Just recalling the thrill I was experiencing in his car makes me want to be just like him."

"So what are you gonna do about it? Declare what you want to do in front of everyone else and let go of your Pokemon training?"

"Of course not. I will tell it to everyone but I will still be a trainer, although I will give more priority to my racing. Why don't we just talk about this later? I'm already starving and I still have to wash my face to get rid of my hangover. Just go ahead, I'll follow."

"Alright," The girl then stepped out of the room and went downstairs to have breakfast.

Ash sat on the edge of the bed. He was in a guest room in Maxx's house in Petalburg City. A party was thrown in the house in celebration of his victory against Cynthia, Steven and Lance after they challenged him to get their titles back but all three of them failed making him an undefeated trainer. After all that partying, he must have passed out because of tiredness and fatigue. Because of that, the party was stopped and Ash was carried to the guest room probably by Norman's Vigoroth or some other Pokemon that were strong enough to carry him.

He then walked to the bathroom to wash his face in order to relieve his minor hangover. Even with just a few shot glasses of liquor, he already had a headache, most probably because he was still young.

The young trainer stepped out of the comfort room and walked down the stairs. He saw the whole Maple family (of course including my OC), Misty, Brock and his Pokemon having breakfast. Delia went home right after the party since she had to take care of some things. Ash took a seat beside Misty with his eyes glued hungrily on the food. He flipped his plate over and started taking food.

"Hey good morning Ash," May greeted. "Had a good sleep?"

"Yeah pretty good. Just had a small hangover even with just a few shot glasses. Where's Brock? Did he go home already?" (Brock passed out before Ash did, because he drank too much)

"No, he's still asleep. I bet he's gonna have a nasty headache when he wakes up." May answered with a small giggle.

Ash chuckled. "Guess partying is his last resort to have women. Hey everyone, I have to tell you guys something," everyone else looked at Ash except for Misty. "I have been having dreams of driving a really fast car lately and just last night, I had a dream that I beat Maxx in a race on a mountain. To make things short, I want to be a racer just like him, but of course I won't give up Pokemon training."

Everyone else except for Misty stopped eating in surprise. Everyone had their mouths open in surprise save for Misty and Maxx. He just looked at the trainer and then smiled.

"Really Ash? I've never expected you to say that, seeing that you're the best trainer and that you'll never leave your passion for Pokemon." May said.

"Me either," Norman said. "So it appears that Ash wants to follow the footsteps of my son, again." he said with a chuckle.

"I've been expecting that if you ask me," Maxx said. "Just seeing him pay attention to my driving when he rode my car in Sunnyshore city, makes me say that he's become interested in racing. So Ash, are you sure you want to start racing? Do you understand the risks and responsibilities of being a racer?"

"Yes Maxx, I know that I can get hurt while racing and I know that a racer has many responsibilities. I will pay you no matter how high you charge me. I just want to be like you."

"You don't have to pay me anything," Maxx replied with a shrug. "You only have to spend for the car you will buy. For the parts and tuning, I'll be the one to take care. You just have to promise me that you will do your best in racing."

"Really? You'll be the one to take care of the expenses? Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. I do have a car back in Pallet but I don't know if it's good for racing. Let's check it out just in case."

So everyone continued having breakfast. After that, they took a bath and got ready for the day's activities, while Brock just woke up, having a headache worse than a Psyduck's. Maxx and Ash went to Pallet town in Norman's Evo 3 since Maxx's GT-T had to be serviced at the garage his family owned. The trip took at least an hour and a half since Pallet was all the way in Kanto. When they arrived, Ash opened the garage door and what greeted Maxx was what he never expected in his life.

"No, no way. This car, w-what is it doing here?" Maxx asked, still in shock.

"What's the problem Maxx? Is there something wrong with the car?" Ash asked, confused.

"Let me first ask you something Ash, who is your father?" Maxx asked with an extremely serious voice.

"How am I supposed to know? My dad died of cancer when I was still a baby."

"Who told you that?"

"My mom did."

"Even your mother can afford to lie to you," He said with dismay.

"What do you mean Maxx? Is there something my mom trying to hide from me?"

"Yes there is. You remember Giovanni, the founder and leader of Team Rocket?"

"Of course I do. What does he have to do with this?" Ash asked, getting annoyed.

"Everything! Believe it or not Ash, Giovanni is your father!" Maxx exclaimed.

"M-my father? That can't be! That's impossible!"

"Yes it is Ash, he is your father," Maxx said as he put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "You should realize that your mother had been lying to you all this time."

Ash couldn't believe it. All this time his father was alive and that he was the founder of the organization he hated with all his life. His realization of his mother was hiding the truth from him just made it worse. To him, he'd rather know the truth right at the start than know about it after a very long time. It just really frustrated him that his father was an evil man instead of a person who was compassionate to Pokemon just like he was. Ash swore to himself that he will find his dad soon and make him go back to his family and quit Team Rocket.

"Hey, I know how you feel. Don't let the truth hinder you from being who you really are. You are still Ash Ketchum, Arceus' Chosen One. You've saved a ton of Pokemon out there. Only you can do that. Not even I can do what you've done when you were still training."

"I'm not yet convinced yet Maxx. How are you so sure that he really is my father? Care to give me a proof?"

Maxx sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "It was just a month after I quit training. You just started your journey in the Battle Frontier back then. One night, I was on a mountain pass just located on the outskirts of Lilycove City. This Supra right here was there and it was Giovanni driving it. He had the best techniques among the other racers there. None of them ever had the chance of catching up with him or even just reducing the gap to ten feet. I was the one to race him last. I was able to maintain my lead until the last corner. When we arrived there, I just got blown away by his technique of passing me on that corner."

"But, why are you making a big deal about it anyway? It's not like Giovanni's giving racing a bad name is he?"

"It's not that. I'm just telling you what he does besides being the leader of the Rockets. I didn't just lose a race back there. I also lost my best friend."

"Your best friend? You mean Typhlosion? Wait, how could you lose him in a race?"

"I was such a fool. I can't believe I did something like that to my best friend, I could never forgive myself for doing it." Maxx looked away, tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Come on man, what did you do? It wouldn't be bad to tell me would it?"

"I placed him as a bet in the race. You see, racers sometimes place a bet and the winner of course takes the bet of the loser."

"What? Why on earth would you bet your own Pokemon for a race?" Ash asked starting to become mad.

"I had to make the bet fair. Giovanni bet his Rhyperior* which was his strongest so I had no choice but bet Typhlosion."

'Wait, a Rhyperior?' Ash thought. 'No one would ever bet such a powerful Pokemon and who would even do it if he's against Maxx? I'm sure Maxx is one of the best racers around but how did he lose? Could it be that the whole race was planned?'

"Hey Maxx, can you describe to me how you got passed at the last corner? Was it something you really didn't expect? And why didn't you try to take him back after the race?"

"Yes, I never expected him to pass me like that. His technique was impossible to do; I was just severely overwhelmed by his driving. Nearing the entrance the corner, he drifted in the opposite direction of the corner and then he shifted the car's weight to the other side of the car, increasing the grip of his right tires. And then, he just passed me like I was nothing. I can't just snatch his Pokeball from him, I'd be considered unfair. And if you're thinking why I didn't come up of a plan to take him back, if I did and succeeded, he'd never forgive me for betraying him."

"An impossible technique? Maxx I'm starting to think that that race wasn't just an ordinary race. It was a plot for Giovanni to take Typhlosion from you. He wouldn't bet his Rhyperior if he wasn't sure that he was going to win, seeing that you're one of the best racers around. And I know that you have a legendary Pokemon with you so why didn't you use it against Team Rocket?"

Maxx was taken aback by Ash's statement. He couldn't believe that he was so stupid that time. He blamed himself for letting his reputation as a racer get to his head and the result, his best friend being taken away by his worst enemy. But one thought did cross his mind though. What if he won the race? He'd still have his Typhlosion and even have a powerful Rhyperior. He was certain that Giovanni would be okay with it since he can just capture a trainer's Rhyhorn or from the wild and force it to evolve.

"Wait, what if I did win? I mean, Giovanni would be okay with losing a Pokemon since he steals them and he can just force them to evolve right? And I can't use my legendary because Team Rocket would be on to me and I can't ask help from anyone and not even from you because they can get harmed in the process just because of a person trying to get back a single Pokemon."

"Maxx, he wouldn't be the Gym Leader of Viridian if he was like that. All gym leaders treat their Pokemon with care and compassion."

Maxx didn't answer.

"Why didn't you do it?" Ash asked with anger. "I thought you said that you will do everything just to protect your Pokemon? I encountered Jessie and James every single day and I did everything to protect Pikachu and the others and what happened? They haven't even succeeded not even once in their life. And what about you? You easily let go of your Pokemon and you didn't even think of a plan to take him back. I'm sorry for talking to you like this Maxx, but it just seems wrong to let go of someone like that."

Maxx couldn't answer again. How could he be so stupid? He became overconfident in his career, let himself succumb to the weakness of pride and most importantly, never thought of the risks or what could his enemies be plotting against him. He let his tears fall while he greatly regretted betraying his best friend. He couldn't stand Typhlosion thinking of him as a worthless trainer and a backstabber.

"Take your time," Ash said. "I'll go talk to my mom."

So Ash entered the house and was greeted by Mr. Mime, doing the chores as usual. He went to the living room where you can see the place where he and Maxx talked through a window. He wasn't surprised when his mom was about to leave the said room.

"Mom, tell me everything," Ash angrily said, folding his arms.

Delia stopped in her tracks. She has never witnessed Ash become angry like that, let alone at her. She made sure that keeping this secret was the best thing seeing Giovanni was a dangerous man and can go after anyone who exposes his identity, even Ash.

"Son, I will tell you everything, but make sure no one knows about this," Delia said worryingly.

"Why Mom? I'm his son aren't I? So why would he go after me? I mean he's not known at all. Everyone I've met in my journeys hasn't heard of Team Rocket in their life. And I've encountered them too many times already; they weren't that dangerous at all."

"He's the kind of person who wants to keep his identity a secret, especially if the position he's in involves a huge amount of money," his mother answered. "Let me first tell you of how Team Rocket came about," she took a deep breath before starting. "It all started when your father and I were still dating. He dreamed of founding a research facility that would study wild Pokemon so that they could use the information to improve wildlife. Five years passed and he was able to establish the facility along with his friends from college. They named it "Rocketeer Research Facility." A little while after that, he proposed to me and we got married on the fourth of March. You were then born the following year and we raised you as loving parents. We also bought the car a few days after your delivery. Why did he choose that car instead if a regular family sedan? He said that there was something the car had that no other car did. He couldn't explain it himself but one thing for sure is that it was very special to him. I still have the photo of us with the car when it was still new," Delia pulled out a drawer beside her and took out a small photograph of Giovanni, her and an infant Ash being held by his mother. Behind them is a brand new Supra whose side view can be seen from the picture. It was bone stock, the plastics on the seats were still on, and it didn't have a license plate yet. Delia handed the photo to Ash and she can see the change of her son's facial expression, from angry to a heavyhearted expression.

"But your father's values as a loving father faded soon," Delia began again. "After extensive hours of research, his research facility has obtained data not even Professor Oak had. Because of this, the idea of using these data for large amounts of money came into their minds. One of his friends, Professor Nanza or was it Mamba? Whatever his name was, he was the first one to come up of the idea and all of them supported that idea. They planned to use Pokemons' weaknesses based on their information to capture them and sell them as food, rare specimen or even sell the rare ones to collectors. I realized this when I noticed he came home much later than usual and his income increased exponentially. Everything changed when I visited his facility one day and I saw all those poor Pokemon being exploited for profit. I couldn't handle it anymore as I approached him and slapped him on the face. The next thing I did was to throw my wedding ring to the floor and yelled at him that our marriage was over. I didn't even see any signs of regret on his face. The next day came and I realized he took the car with him during the night. From that day on, he never came back home ever again."

"But why and how did he return the car if he took it with him?" Ash asked.

"I think he managed to sneak it in the garage when I was out of the town. The last time I went to the garage was before you started your journey but the car wasn't there and when you came home after you competed in the Battle Frontier, that's when I realized it was there. I don't really know the reason why but I think he wanted you to follow his footsteps. If that were true, I'd be against it but since Maxx would be the one to teach you, I'm sure you'll always be in safe hands." Delia answered.

That's when the two heard the door open. They turned around to see Maxx enter the house. Judging by the plain expression on his face, his mood has returned to normal quite quickly.

"Finally gotten over it?" Ash asked with a small smile.

"Yeah, I also thought of a plan but I don't think I'd be able to set out anytime soon. I also overheard your mom's story. Never realized Giovanni was once a good guy," the racer replied. "Pardon us for bothering your morning ma'am, it's just your son is eager to be a racer already."

Ash's mother chuckled. "It's alright; I know my baby is always itching for new adventures."

A vein appeared on Ash's temple. "Hey neither of those is true!" The trainer exclaimed. "I just wanted to show Maxx the car that's all!"

"Yeah right, that's what you always say," Maxx teased. "Anyway, we'll just take the car to the garage tomorrow since I still have to talk to Dad about this. For now, I'll teach you the mechanical characteristics of a car, mainly how the engine, transmission and other parts work. I'll also teach you basic troubleshooting so in case your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere; you'd be able to fix it."

"Alright then," Ash agreed. "Wait here first; let me get something from my room." Ash finished as he went upstairs.

"Okay, I'm going to leave you two here. I'll go to Viridian City to get some food," Delia said.

"Okay then, do you need a ride there? I'm pretty sure Ash can wait," Maxx replied.

"No, it's okay," Delia denied. "I prefer to walk since it maintains my fitness," she finished with a chuckle.

The racer answered with a short laugh. "If that's what you want then I have no right to force you."

"Alright then, see you two later," Ash's mother said while turning back to head for the door.

That's when Ash came down the stairs with a pen and a notebook in his hand. "Where's she going?"

"Just going to the food store," Maxx replied while noticing the stationery equipment in the trainer's hand. "You know I'm not planning to give you a test."

"Well since cars are pretty complicated, I figured taking some notes would be handy. I don't want forgetting some details and end up asking you questions again and again," the trainer replied.

The two then proceeded to the kitchen and settled themselves at the opposite sides of the table. Maxx then started lecturing Ash on the mechanical characteristics of a car. He started with the powertrain beginning at the engine then to the transmission and finally to the differential. Once this discussion was done, they then moved on to the chassis of a car which consisted of the frame, suspension, brakes and necessary joints to make up a car's chassis. At first, Ash hardly understood the concepts of the contraptions found in a car mainly because he was never interested in mechanical systems but thanks to Maxx's skill in describing a car's functions, Ash was able to comprehend the functions and characteristics. They finally moved on to the last part which was the physical appearance of the car. This was a vital aspect in a car since its physical appearance represents its owner's personality. While Maxx advised Ash to give his car cosmetic enhancements to make the car more personalized, he strongly discouraged him to give the car excess enhancements such as ridiculously huge spoilers, oddly shaped body kits, unnecessary amount of stickers and most importantly, a stupid looking paintjob on both sides of the car. Doing this would just make him and his car clowns in front of the crowd. Most people consider cars with excessive cosmetic enhancements were just meant for showing in a motor show. Maxx explained that there were body kits and spoilers that mess up a car's aerodynamics causing the increase in wind resistance thus lowering the car's performance as well as worsening fuel consumption. While fuel efficiency is barely a priority when it comes to racing, drivers make sure that every drop in their tanks was utilized so they'd be able to make use of every horsepower in their engines.

Maxx didn't really elaborate much on a car's interior mainly because that's the only place in a car where nothing is complicated. He just explained what the symbols meant and Ash was able to comprehend easily.

By the time they finished, it was already half past three in the afternoon. For Maxx, he didn't expect the whole lecture would last this long since he expected Ash to easily understand the characteristics of a car considering his newfound interest. For Ash, he never expected he'd cover more than half of his notebook seeing its size being the largest he could find with its ten by fifteen inch dimensions.

"Man I sure wish this is the last time I'm doing this," Ash said while massaging his right hand.

Maxx scoffed. "Last time? Dude that was just the tip of the ice berg. You still have basic driving procedures like maneuvering, parking, turning. Next you'll have road courtesy. You will have to learn how to be considerate to other motorists to keep the traffic smooth. For racing you also have acceleration and braking techniques, cornering, downshifting and racing lines. And don't forget you still have drifting."

Ash's face fell. "That much?" he asked in dismay. "I knew I'd have a long way but not this long."

"Well you have to live with it," Maxx replied. "If you want to become a racer as soon as possible, then you have to learn as much and quick as you can."

"Oh alright, I'll try to learn all of them, eventually," Ash timidly said.

"Okay then, make sure you do that. Well I have to go home now, I still have to work on my car," Maxx said while turning around to head for the door. "You'll use another car for your lessons tomorrow, it's best to learn how to drive with a basic type of car which is a four-door sedan. See you then," Maxx opened the door then closed it. Ash could hear the Evo 3's engine roaring to life a few seconds after.

Ash sighed then turned to go up the stairs. He decided to watch a little TV to relax his mind after hours of extensive discussion and comprehension. Once he reached his bedroom, he immediately plugged the cable of his television into the socket and hopped onto the bed then grabbed the remote. Moments later, he heard a bus stopping in front of his house. He looked out the window to see his mother stepping out of the vehicle carrying two plastic bags. That's when Ash felt his stomach rumble; he never thought he'd forget to eat even during Maxx's lecture. If his friends knew about this, they'd be shocked that the impossible could actually come true. Rushing downstairs, he greeted his mother and helped her by carrying both bags to the kitchen. After that, Delia took out some of the merchandise and started cooking them. A few minutes later, Ash picked up the scent of the food which caused his mouth to water in anticipation. Moments later, Delia turned off the stove and placed the plate full with food onto the table, still steaming hot.

"Here, eat up," Ash's mother said with a grin.

"Thanks Mom," Ash gratefully said then started eating. He tried to eat at a sedate pace so as not to make himself rude in front of his mother and to prevent choking on the food.

After a few minutes of silence, Delia was first to talk. "So Ash dear, what do you two plan on doing tomorrow?"

The trainer looked up. "Well he's gonna teach me basic driving lessons. He said we'll be using a basic type of car since it's easier to learn with that kind of vehicle. But of course it will surely be a manual since starting with an automatic would make it harder for you to learn."

"What's Maxx gonna do with the car then?" Delia asked.

"I'm not sure. I think he's going to bring it to the garage tomorrow so he can plan on what modifications he will install in the future. But I don't think he'll be doing anything with it just yet. He's still gonna ask me what modifications I'd want to install. I'm pretty sure I won't finish everything by tomorrow; the lessons would probably last for a few days."

"Well good luck with that. And make sure you drive safely and responsibly. I don't want Maxx getting liable because of your carelessness," Delia warned.

"Of course Mom, I'll make sure Maxx doesn't get pissed at me," Ash replied sheepishly.

"Alright then, once your done eating put the plate in the sink and you can spend the day doing anything you want."

"Thanks mom," Ash replied. He then placed the plate in the sink and went upstairs to watch TV.

Later that evening, Ash was reviewing the notes he had taken down during his discussion with Maxx earlier that day. At first, he had a hard time analyzing the details mainly because it was his first time to study about a car's mechanism. But after some effort has been exerted, he was able to connect the dots. The surprising thing was, Ash was too absorbed in studying his notes that he lost his eagerness to eat even if he wasn't hungry. That was when the trainer heard a loud rumbling sound from his stomach. As if on cue, he heard his mother's voice calling from downstairs. He immediately folded the corner of the current page he was studying and closed the notebook and then ran downstairs.

"Can't believe I nearly forgot to eat," Ash remarked.

"Bet you won't be able to sleep tonight," Delia joked. "Oh that reminds me, make sure you don't oversleep tonight or else Maxx won't be too happy. I don't want what happened to you on your first day as a trainer happen to you again."

"Actually mom, I count that day as a lucky day because if I did get to the Professor's lab early, I wouldn't have Pikachu," Ash replied.

"Maybe you're right. Pikachu is the best Pokemon you've ever had after all."

So the two took their seats and had dinner. The conversation was mainly about Ash's possible plans in his future racing career. Maxx told him that there were many types of races so Ash would have a hard time choosing which is the most interesting to him. The trainer also said that if ever he wins large amounts of money in a competition, he'll make sure that a big part of it goes to her mother since she had a share in buying the car. The only thing that really worried Delia was that Ash appeared to be really interested in mountain pass racing. The thought of Ash driving through the twisty roads and steep slopes made her go against Ash's idea of participating in that kind of racing. Sure, drifting in an enclosed track was much safer since the roads are wider and the corners are easier to anticipate but seeing Ash go through those dangerous corners especially if they didn't have guardrails unnerved her.

"You do have a point there mom," Ash said. "But I'm sure Maxx's lessons are safe enough that you'd think this kind of racing is alright as long as you do it at the right time. And he told me he never crashed at all; he just scratched up a part of his car when he was practicing, and that was a long time ago too."

"Hmm, come to think of it, Maxx never had a major accident in his life," Delia replied. "If you will compete in mountain pass races, make sure you start with an underpowered car first, preferably a family sedan with minor upgrades."

"Yeah, I've been talking about that too," Ash replied. "He did say that I'll be using a four-door sedan for my lessons. Maybe he'll make me use it for racing eventually."

"Oh alright. Just make sure that that's the first car you use for any kind of racing alright?" Delia requested with a caring smile.

"Of course I will mom," Ash replied. "I'll make sure I drive and race safe too."

"That's my boy," Delia said smiling. "Now let's go clean up the table. You go up and take a bath then have some rest once this is done. You have a long day tomorrow."

Ash then helped his mother clean up the table and once he was done, he went upstairs and finished studying his notes for two more hours. Once he was done, he took a bath, brushed his teeth and went straight to bed.

**At Maxx's house**

"That Supra belongs to that son of a bitch Giovanni?" Norman asked in shock.

"I can't believe it myself. That motherfucker doesn't even deserve to be a father either. That just gives me another reason to crush him to pieces, literally," Maxx replied.

"How do you plan on doing that? Surely you're gonna need some help even if you were once a master trainer. And what mods do you plan to install in the Supra?"

"Of course I have my trump card here," Maxx answered. "And of course, because we've met a lot of legendaries in the past, I don't think they'd hesitate to lend us a hand. I'm not yet quite sure with the mods. Maybe a sixty-six millimeter or bigger turbo and the right cams will do the trick. Maybe a rebuild of the engine and the transmission won't hurt either."

"That size for a turbo? Are you sure Ash would be able to cope with the lag?" Norman asked, shocked with the turbo size Maxx wants.

"Of course he would. For me, single turbos are better on Supras than twins," Maxx replied. "He'll only need twins on the circuit."

"If you say so. When do you plan on boosting it up?"

"Maybe after Ash is has mastered racing with an FF. But I'll make sure the FF remains non-turbo."

"Heh, so you're gonna make him race the same way as you do?"

"Certainly," Maxx replied. "And one thing for sure, is that we're gonna be rivals again."

Well that ends my revised first chapter. Heh, never expected this one's gonna be this long. Oh and sorry for not updating for like a year, school was a bitch, always taking every second of my free time. Well at least it's summer already, and I might be able to post two to three chapters this time :P hope you guys liked it! :)


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